Thinking about warmer days

I know I really shouldn’t complain.  As far as winters go, this one has been fairly mild.  I guess I just wasn’t expecting the huge snow storm that rolled through here a couple days ago.  I’m not usually one to lounge on the beach, but right now all I want to do is dig a hole for my every growing belly and lay face down in the sand.

For now, I suppose I must be content to sip my tea and look at the bright snow from the comfort of my warm office, with the little one dancing happily in my tummy.  Only 17 weeks until I get to see her beautiful face!

Are you looking forward to a change of season?

Read Full Post »

Early Morning Birthday Fun

 

Today is my dude’s birthday, and what better way to start than early morning pancakes, coffee, and of course presents before work?? 

I am not the only crafty one in my family.  Mike is crafty in all sorts of ways, but lately he has been talking a lot about woodworking and making toys for our little one.  I got him the Complete Manual of Woodworking, and Making Toys that Teach to get him started.  The Complete Manual has a great section on hand tools, which is why I settled on this book over the many others about Woodworking.  We don’t have lots of money to buy all the power tools that some people use.  Making Toys that Teach has some great beginner’s projects that will be great for a baby/toddler.

I love the idea of our baby enjoying toys that Mike and I made.  And, I am even more happy that Mike will enjoy making the toys.  Our little one will be born to a great father who is already in love with her.  Happy Birthday Dude!

Read Full Post »

Apologies for a Bad Start to the New Year

Hello to all my faithful readers and visitors.  It has been too long.  This poor little blog has gotten dusty in my absence.  I apologize a thousand times for my lack of updating, and crawling into 2010 at a snail’s pace.  Fortunately, my lack of posting does not reflect an absence of crafting in my life, and I have oh so much to share with all of you.  Please bear with me over the next week or two as I try to get back into a regular posting schedule!

The start of the new year brought with it a new craft for me to learn!  I have been taking weaving classes at a local yarn store, and so far it has been wonderful!  As many of you know, with most of the crafts I have learned, I taught myself, mostly by making thousands of mistakes before getting it right.  I forgot how helpful it is to have a teacher guiding my work.  Don’t get me wrong…I still make my fair share of mistakes!  But having a teacher helps me to fix them quickly and efficiently, and avoid making some all together.

So far I have just been practicing some different weaves on my borrowed 4-shaft table loom (with a few fairly hideous color combos), but this week I am moving on to a “real” project!  I will post some pictures for you next Wednesday. 

I have found that the hardest part about starting a new project is being so overwhelmed with ideas, and settling on just one.  I was walking through the yarn store last night, surrounded by all these beautiful bits of wool, cotton, and silk, and it was too much to take it in.  Many of the people in my class went home with their material, but I went home empty-handed.  I think that I need time to gather my thoughts before I can settle on a single project to tackle.

Do any of you have any experience weaving?  What were your experiences like?  What was hardest and easiest for you?

Read Full Post »

First comes love, then comes marriage…

I’ve got some fun news to share with you all…Mike and I are expecting our first baby!  I know that I have been “off” in my blogging for a while now, please forgive me!!  Finally I can share the real reason for my sporadic posts! 

The first 12 weeks were not too bad, at least by many of my friends’ standards.  I have been feeling a little sick here and there, but mainly I am just so tired I’ve been having a hard time coming home at the end of a long day at work and sitting down at my sewing machine.  I am feeling much better lately, though still tired, but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things very soon, and maybe even start working on some first projects for the little one!  Stay tuned…

Read Full Post »

A Fresh Coat

With the holidays approaching I am feeling more and more pressure to finish up this little apartment of ours.  Family and friends will be coming to visit us over the next few weeks, and I would love to have a finished livingroom for all of us to sit in!  Mike promised to paint the place this past weekend (he’s so awesome!), if I could decide on a paint color by then.  After a near breakdown at the hardware store, we finally settled on three colors…Bright White (for the doors and trim), Profession (a light grey/tan color), and Chicken Wire (a greyish, greenish, blue).  There was much amusement had over the names of the colors.  The painting was all finished in one day, thanks to the help of some great friends.

And, you will never ever believe this, but I finally bought some fabric for curtains!  I’ll be making those this weekend, so look for pictures next monday!

When I think about the week to come, I can’t help but mentally back away in dread.  So much to do, so little time!!  Besides the usual (or not so usual, if you are me) laundry, groceries, dinners, and dusting, I want to make sure everything is organized and clean for when my family arrives next monday.  And yes, that means tackling the dreaded craft room, which I have not talked about here due to embarrassment.  I also want to hang some pictures around the house so that the newly painted walls have a chance to shine!  I am also hoping that over the next few days I can take some time to relax with Mike and enjoy the season before it passes us by.  It only comes around once a year, after all.

How are you preparing for the holidays?  Are you remembering to take some time to relax?

Read Full Post »

Back Soon!

Hi all, I have been feeling under the weather this week, so sorry for the lack of creative posting as of late!  I will be back on monday, but in the meantime, enjoy these photos Mike took yesterday.  We got a huge snow storm this week!!

Read Full Post »

Bird Carving

The other night Mike had to stay out late to do some mass grading, so I thought I would spend a little time at the thrift store exploring.  I really love taking my time there because there are so many little treasures that could be missed if I am not looking carefully.  I go through each of the aisles looking and touching items until I find something perfect.

One of my favorite finds from that night was this little painted wood carving.  I am a huge fan of natural wood, as well as a huge fan of birds, and this piece combines them both.  There isn’t a hole or hanger in the back of the carving, so I am thinking about putting one on so that I can hang it up on the wall instead of propping it up.  I think that it would look great in a montage of little art pieces and display fabrics.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend…enjoy this last little bit of Autumn before it disappears into Winter!

Read Full Post »

Noticing

Yesterday I recieved a pie pumpkin in my CSA.  I was quite suprised to see it there, in the bottom of my bag.  All this attention I have been paying to tomatoes has distracted my attention and kept me from hearing Autumn knocking ever so lightly on my front door.

That knock turned into a loud rapping last night when the howling wind threatened to blow the door in.  I woke up this morning to find broken branches, and the autumn sign I have been waiting for…vibrant leaves covering the ground like a colorful carpet, or a patchwork quilt that I could wrap myself in to keep warm.  Mike and I decided to go for early morning lattes to celebrate.

I love feeling the change in the air.  Every little detail of my surroundings is whispering the story of the changing season.  The squirrels are scavaging for every bit of food they can get, and the wind comes just in time to ensure they will have enough to store up for the winter.  Just as the squash and pumpkins are ripening, the temperature goes down to sweeten their taste, and to draw people in to autumn flavors again.

Speaking of autumn flavors, I can’t wait for my bowl of steaming butternut squash soup tonight!

What have you been noticing about the season you live in?  What is your favorite time of year?

Read Full Post »

The Gardener’s Bed Book

I know this feels more like a spring entry, instead of an autumn one, but I had to share this beautiful book that I found at the thrift store.  “The Gardener’s Bed Book” was written in 1929 and was meant to be read in small increments each evening, right before bed.  It is full of charming stories and short, simple pieces of advice.  What I was initially drawn to was the pretty design on the cover of the book.  I started a small embroidery project using that design.  For the embroidery, I am using an ecru colored linen, and a cream-colored cotton embroidery thread.

With all the busyness going on around here, it is very relaxing to sit down with a small embroidery project, and a short excerpt from this book to contemplate.  I find it grounding, to do something so simple and to take my time doing it.  With back to school and the end of summer, what are you doing to relax?

As you go about your weekend, I want to leave a small reminder with you:

However busy you are these days in physical labor,

spare a few moments to enjoy the beauty of the flowers that remain.

-The Gardener’s Bed Book, 1929

Have a wonderful weekend!

Read Full Post »

Wedding!

Its finally official, my little sister is a married woman!  She was so beautiful!  This was the first wedding I have been to since I got married a couple years ago, and it is a very different experience when you are married (and, of course, when its not your own wedding.  It is so cool to see two people who love each other enough to promise their lives to each other.  It brought back all the memories of my wedding, and what I felt on that day.

There were lots of little hand-made details at the reception.  Ashley was able to plan out all the decorations, favors, and programs herself.  I sewed all the table runners, which added some color to the tables, and the centerpieces were various jars with candles in them.  They created such a romantic atmosphere!

It was easy to tell the amount of sewing I was doing because I was at the movie theater and felt something poking my side.  I went to the bathroom to see what it was and I pulled a pin out of my bra!  All the work was worth it, though, because the day was absolutely beautiful.  My only regret is that I was too busy to take pictures!  These two were taken by one of the guests at the wedding.

So if you have been wondering where I was, and when I would return…I’m back!  Thanks for holding tight!

Read Full Post »